Dear moms of teenage girls,

Let me start off saying that Hubby is a youth minister and works very closely with some amazing girls. I am not faulting these girls in particular, this is a letter about teenage girls in general. Things that I have noticed about girls in public, on TV and on social media.

That being said....

Dear moms of teenage girls,
I am writing to you to share some insight from someone who not only was a teen just 10 years ago, but who also works closely with many teenage girls myself. I know how hard your job can be. Dealing everyday with the drama and attitudes and emotions that come with girls age 12-18 (heck even now in my late 20's I have some of the same issues), you should be given a gold star for everyday that is finished with everyone intact and still with their sanity. This letter is not to address that part of motherhood. This letter is to address the way your daughter is being seen in the public's eye.
Prom is a very exciting milestone in a young girls life. For most it is their first time to get dressed up and go out on their own, often with a date. They get a taste of adulthood within the limits set by chaperones.  I myself have some really great prom memories. This letter though is to address what your daughter is going to wear to her prom. 

With prom season fast approaching, I wanted this letter to reach you before you take your little girl shopping for the perfect gown. You see I have noticed a trend over the last few years regarding prom attire and it deeply worries me. Traditional girls wear long sparkling gowns that make them look like beautiful princesses. These dresses roughly cost around $100-200 (although I think I spend less than $50 on both of my prom dress combined).

 

See photos of me and my prom dates at the bottom of the post.

 However I have noticed a trend over the last few years that is becoming quite alarming. Gowns have become shorter and much more risque. 

These gowns are made to show off the body and prove how sexy you are. But before you say "oh how cute" remember that the models shown are probably in their 20's, and these dresses are being marketed to 16-18 year old girls. These dresses also often sell from $200-600, and trust me I have seen even more scandalous gowns.

I know when it comes to clothing and teen girls I often hear "You just can't find modest clothes anymore." This may be the case with everyday clothes, but when it comes to prom dresses I know that just isn't the case. I recently worked for a local dress shop. We did have a few "sexy" dresses, but most of our prom/homecoming/special occasion dresses were very tasteful. They were also very cute, had lots of sparkle and were often fun and exciting colors. All attributes that teenage girls want in a prom dress.

Sometimes it is impossible to control what your daughter does, but when you are shelling out hundreds of dollars for a dress they will wear one time, that is something you can control. 16 year old girls are not paying $600 of their own money for these risque dresses, instead it is their MOTHERS who are paying an extraordinary amount of money for what looks like a bra and some extra fabric. Instead of purchasing the "sexy" dress your daughter is begging you for, teach her how to respect her body. I know as a mother all I want to do is make my child happy, but I know that giving in to his every whim is not in his best interest. We as a community should ban together and say enough is enough. We no longer want our daughters dressing like sexy women, instead we want them to dress like the princesses they deserve to be. We should assist mothers who are guiding their daughters into women-hood and help stand against the culture that is over sexualizing teen girls.

We are all the time shocked by teen girls becoming sexually active, or pregnant in high school. But when we allow our daughters to wear barely nothing, we are allowing them to promote themselves as a sex symbol.

When your daughter's date sees her in a dress like this...

What he really sees is this...

Or worse.

It is amazing every year how many photos I see on Facebook or other forms of social media of girls wearing dresses just like these. Already this year I have seen people trying to re-sell dresses like these. Please, I ask before you take your daughter shopping for such an important piece of clothing, to remember that she still is your little girl. Please, join me in pushing back on society and saying that we will not allow our young girls in the community to become a sex symbol. Please, join me in saying Enough is Enough!!!


I truly hope that this post will reach at least one family who is struggling with the idea of purchasing this type of dress for their daughter. I hope that it makes us re-think our cultural views on how we want women/girls in our society dressing.

***All images are from Google image search. I have purposefully not attached the links to the photos because I do not want girls purchasing dresses like these. If you are the original owner of the photos I apologize for not giving you credit, but I feeling like by creating a link to your website defeats the purpose of this post.

 As promised, Junior and Senior year prom photos....................enjoy :)